Fairy Godmother

Why should I care about some stupid old base born woman? Julian bleats about the peasantry all the time, and this is where his concern leads him! Let her family take care of her, or let her go to the poorhouse where decent people won't be bothered by such as her! Isn't that why we built the things?

The voice in the back of his head — snickered. Nastily. Ah. I see. So long as you don't have to look at 'such as her,' you needn't concern yourself Is that it?

Of course it was — but somehow, that felt like exactly the wrong answer. And he didn't know why.

The woman who was calling herself a Fairy Godmother made a tiny gesture with the wand. As Alexander watched her with his ears still flattened against his skull, beside him in the bushes something moved, snakelike.

His attention was distracted, away from the woman, to the horses. And as he stared, the reins of both horses came un-knotted from where they'd been tied.

They moved as if they were alive, or as if there was someone actually undoing the knots.

But that wasn't the least of it, oh no. Before his very eyes, they changed color. The bay became a grey, and the packhorse a dapple; the armor packed onto the latter simply vanished altogether, and the shield with it.

She gestured again, and the two horses tossed their heads to free the reins and ambled out into the clearing as if she had called them.

And then, as calmly as if the horses and their burdens were her property to give away, she handed the reins over to Julian. 'Here is all you will need for the physical tests you will face,' she said, as Alexander nearly choked, his fear for his brother turning to outrage at her high-handed behavior. 'But it will take more than strength to win the Princess, it will take cunning.'

Julian bent his head to her, as humbly as if she was some sort of Queen, instead of a thief and a trickster. 'Tell me,' he begged. 'What must I do?'

The next half hour was the worst period in all of Alexander's life, as he watched and listened, unable to move, speak, or interfere in any way, while that infernal woman coached his younger brother through everything he needed to win through the trials and get King Stancia's daughter and throne. Not that some of it made any real sense — some babble about freeing trapped foxes, rescuing baby hawks, feeding ants —

But that didn't matter. She was cheating, helping Julian, and why? Because he'd stopped to help a worthless old woman! Where was the sense in that?

She'd stolen his gear too, and given it to an idiot who didn't have the sense not to leave without the proper equipment! The more he watched and listened, the angrier he got, until he was nearly faint with rage and trembling in every limb.

Of all the Questers that Elena had ever tested, this one was probably the best. He was even better-looking in person, with the animation of a good intellect in his eyes, and a ready smile on his lips. Like his brother, Alexander, he was clean-shaven and long-haired, but somehow (and perhaps it was the faint air of untidiness about him, the lack of perfection in his dress) she got the impression that Julian was not given to much thought about how he looked. To tell the truth, his horse was better groomed than he was; his brown doublet was just a bit faded, and someone else probably would have given it to a servant by now. His linen was clean, but it was clear that he hadn't changed his shirt before he left. And his breeches, of soft doeskin, were made for use, not for looks.

Everything he said was intelligent and to the point. Prince Julian was a fine, considerate young man — but more than that, he was much cleverer than his brothers and father gave him credit for. That was borne out in his conversation.

'Have you done something with Octavian and Alexander?' he asked, quietly, when he accepted the reins of the two horses that Prince Alexander had brought with him. By the tone of his voice, it wasn't exactly a question; he knew, he just wanted it confirmed. 'I can't imagine them getting past you, you see — '

He didn't quite accuse her, but he clearly remembered the sorts of things that Godmothers did. Which was more than his brothers had.

She raised an eyebrow. 'I'll tell you that they're as safe as I could make them,' she said, finally, 'but that they won't be competing with you for Stancia's daughter, and neither of them will be seeing Kohlstania for a while.'

'Ah,' he replied, and grimaced, and for a moment, those fine, dark eyes were shadowed. 'Alexander has always been kind to me. And I don't wish any harm even on Octavian.'

Hmm. 'Even' on Octavian? Some bullying there, I suspect. Well, if that's the sort of fellow Octavian is, he won't be seeing home next month.

'I'll keep my eye on Alexander then,' she promised, repressing a little smile. Oh, she would be doing that, all right.

She took note of the angle of the sunlight across the clearing; in fact, the clearing was entirely in shadow at the moment and it wouldn't be long until sunset. She needed to get him on his way, and soon. He probably wouldn't make it out of Phaelin's Wood tonight, but at least now he'd have the gear for a night in the forest. 'Never mind them, Julian. It's you who will be needing help, all right? Now, before you ever get to the Glass Mountain, you'll probably encounter several tests like mine. Perhaps there will be a trapped fox that you will need to free — perhaps you will have to rescue a young hawk or eagle and return it to its nest — perhaps you will have to save an ant colony from flooding. I can't tell you what it will be, but I can give you this.'

She handed him a tiny, red glass vial that contained, in part, some of the dragon's blood that she herself had once drunk. This, however, was not the straight, undiluted stuff. This was a potion, created by her, which would last no longer than it took to finish the trials.

Being able to converse with animals could cause a great deal of trouble. It was not a gift given lightly, and few deserved or needed to be burdened with it for very long.

'When you are a mile or two down the road, stop and drink this,' she told him. 'When it takes effect, you'll be able to speak with the animals for several days. At some point, you'll get the chance to save the lives of one or